POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — On Thursday, News Channel 8 brought you a story about two out-of-state teens arrested for prank calling 911.
On Friday, the family of one of those teens shared their side to the story.
They don’t deny their brother made that call but still don’t believe he should be locked up.
We are not naming the teen nor his family because of age.
“It’s very devastating,” the sister said. “I’ve never seen my brother in the shape that he’s in now.”
The last time this pair of sisters saw their 15-year-old brother was at a juvenile detention center in Hartford, Connecticut.
Since then, he has been extradited to Florida.
“He cried in my arms like it was devastating,” the sister said.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said three teens were playing Fortnite online when they started arguing.
The sheriff said it went downhill from there when the teens called to report a crime that never happened.
“Typically, when teenagers are online and engaged in gaming, emotions can run high, and one player might become upset with another, or perhaps angered over a lost game. In such instances, they may resort to looking up their rival’s address and phoning the local police or sheriff’s office,” he explained.
But the teen’s family says that isn’t the case.
They assert that someone online coerced their brother into making the call, threatening to expose private family information if he refused.
But when that teen was threatened a second time, his sisters say he refused, so someone swatted their home a few days later.
East Hartford police confirmed they responded to the home and determined it was a fake 911 call.
Now, the teen faces felony charges in Polk County.
“I believe that he’s being made an example for others who might consider swatting or think it’s entertaining. However, he shouldn’t be the one showcased as he’s also a victim of manipulation,” the sister expressed.
So what is it that makes people online feel so daring?
News Channel 8 went to Tampa Bay gamer Phillip Moss to find out.
“Anonymity is a big thing, like I’m never going to see that person online that I just talked all this mad crazy things about me and I’m never going to see them,” Moss explained.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said, if the family’s statements are true, it’s something their local law enforcement should look into.
The 15-year-old’s next court date is next Friday.
A 14-year-old from Syracuse, New York was also extradited and charged in the case.
